UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1994 The timing of orgasm and sexual satisfaction Jacqueline Lee Newman University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Newman, Jacqueline Lee, "The timing of orgasm and sexual satisfaction" (1994). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 387. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/o9b2-w8vl This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. 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Ann Arbor, MI 48106 THE TIMING OF ORGASM AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION by Jacqueline L. Newman A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Department of Psychology University of Nevada, Las Vegas June 1994 Copyright Jacqueline L. Newman All Rights Reserved The Thesis of Jacqueline L. Newman for the Degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology is approved. S ?— — ____ Chairperson, Terry J. Kq[ap]5, Ph.D. t’ (y \ Examining Committee Member, Don C. Diener, Ph.D. - e Examining Committee Member, Charles T. Rasmussen,& Ph.D ^/draduate Faculty Representative, Gary Palmer, P h .D . Dean or the Graduate College, Ronald Smith, Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas June 1994 ABSTRACT Although sexual satisfaction is often defined subjectively, researchers have attempted to discover predictor variables that may be common to most individual's conceptions of sexual satisfaction. The discovery of such predictor variables would help create a unifying definition that could be consistently applied across the population of sexually-active individuals. The existence of such a unified definition would be functionally important for those individuals seeking sex therapy. The goal of the present study was to partially replicate and extend past research. It was hypothesized that for both women and men a relationship exists between the timing of orgasm and sexual satisfaction. Specifically for women, it was hypothesized that women who orgasm before or at the same time as their partners would report to be more sexually satisfied than women who orgasm after their partners. A one-way between subjects analysis of variance for both men and women revealed no significant differences for either gender. It is recommended that a more precise method of determining orgasm timing be employed to replicate the study. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ................................................. v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION..........................................1 Review of the Literature...................................2 Self-Related Variables............................... 2 Partner-Related Variables............................6 CHAPTER 2 METHOD ..............................................10 Subjects.................................................... 10 Materials...................................................10 Design and Procedure...................................... 11 CHAPTER 3 RESULTS .............................................12 CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION ......................................... 17 APPENDIX TABLES OF RESULTS ........... 20 REFERENCES ..................................................... 21 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Sexual Satisfaction as a Function of Marital Status Table 2 Sexual Satisfaction as a Function of Relationship Length Table 3 Sexual Satisfaction as a Function of the Type of Activity Through Which Orgasm is Achieved Table 4 Sexual Satisfaction as a Function of the Type of Activity Through Which Partner's Orgasm is Achieved Table 5 Sexual Satisfaction as a Function of the Timing of Orgasm Table 6 One-factor Analysis of Variance Summary Table for Female Sexual Satisfaction and Length of Current Relationship Table 7 One-factor Analysis of Variance Summary Table for Male Sexual Satisfaction and Length of Current Relationship Table 8 One-factor Analysis of Variance Summary Table for Female Sexual Satisfaction and the Timing of Orgasm Table 9 One-factor Analysis of Variance Summary Table for Male Sexual Satisfaction and the Timing of Orgasm v INTRODUCTION Sexual satisfaction has been defined as a subjective evaluation of the degree to which one is content with one's sex life (Pinney, Gerrard & Denney, 1987). Sexual satisfaction has also been described as a complex result of both effective physical and psychological stimulation with positive evaluations of the experience (Frank, Downard & Lang, 1986). According to this latter definition, if one is capable of attaining a desirable amount of physical arousal and has positive expectations and interpretations about sexual experiences, then it is likely that one will be sexually satisfied. Despite the variability of its meaning, researchers have attempted to discover predictor variables that may be common to most individuals' conceptions of sexual satisfaction. The discovery of such predictor variables would help create a unifying definition that could be consistently applied across the population of sexually- active individuals. The majority of past research, though, has focused on sexual dysfunctions and how they may contribute to lowering levels of sexual satisfaction among couples experiencing them. Hence, there have been few global attempts at defining sexual satisfaction among the general population of 1 sexually-active individuals. Some researchers view this underrepresentation of research as unfortunate because sexual dissatisfaction, without the presence of any actual dysfunction, is often a complaint of couples undergoing marital therapy (Schover, 1982). It is, therefore, the goal of this paper to focus on the determinants of sexual satisfaction among the general sexually-active population. Review of the Literature Variables predicting sexual satisfaction can be classified into two major categories, self-related variables and partner-related variables. Both self-related and partner-related variables can be further divided into physiological and psychological variables. Self-Related Variables Physiological self-related variables involve bodily changes and responses to sexual arousal and stimulation. In their pioneering work, Masters and Johnson (1966) described four stages of sexual response in both genders: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Each stage involves specific physical changes that take place within the body. Although these physical components play a important role in sexual satisfaction, it is believed that psychological components play an even more influential role (Pinney, Gerrard & Denney, 1987). Almost any of the many variables in the psychological make-up of an individual can be responsible for contributing to sexual satisfaction. General components such as drive, living in the here-and-now, memories, anxiety, guilt, and emotions have been found to be influential in either increasing or decreasing one's sexual satisfaction level (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1979; Kaplan, 1974; Waterman, Chiauzzi, & Gruenbaum, 1979; Wells, Lucas & Meyer, 1980). Specific components of the psychological make-up include body-image satisfaction, self-esteem, gender role, assertiveness, and communication. Regarding the first component, body-image satisfaction,